South Korea

Mad as hell

South Korea’s president turns on trade unionists and journalists

THE first boneless beef imported into South Korea from America for almost five years arrived at the dockside this week. It was a victory of sorts for President Lee Myung-bak, whose decision to end a ban on American beef imports prevailed over vast protests and the loss of three cabinet ministers. But the costs of victory continue to rise. The president is being drawn into a legal battle with broadcasters and trade unions.

Jin Young-OK, the vice-president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has been arrested and charged with organising illegal demonstrations and strikes. The president has accused two television broadcasters, KBS and MBC, of biased, emotional reporting that has incited Koreans to take to the streets. The president of KBS, Jung Yun-joo, is under pressure to resign; MBC has been indicted. The chairman of the Korea Commission for the Press, Chang Heng-hoon, complains that the president's “way of thinking about the press is to use it as a tool to control public opinion.”

Mr Lee is not going to back down any time soon. He has the support of the three main daily newspapers and his Grand National Party wants to up the stakes by making it a crime to post on the internet disinformation that incites illegal demonstrations. The main opposition party admits it cannot stop this.

But the president's divisive tactics could backfire. Mr Lee has promised to boost living standards, a rash pledge at a time when the world economy is stumbling. South Korea is also embroiled in a confrontation with Japan over a group of rocky islands called Dokdo (Takeshima in Japanese). The South Korean prime minister visited them this week to reiterate his country's claim. The government also announced three days of military exercises around the islands. With all this going on, the last thing the president needs is more divisiveness over beef.